Ventilating sash lock



Oct. 16, 1956 w. o. MAEDE VENTILATING SASH LOCK Filed Nov. 30, 1954 INVENTOR.

United States Patent VENTILATING SASH LOCK Waldemar 0. Maede, Morton Grove, Ill.

Application November 30, 1954, Serial No. 471,952

1 Claim. (Cl. 292-342) This invention relates to ventilating sash locks. It provides a construction for such a lock whereby the locking feature becomes much safer than it was in the past, while the lock remains extremely simple and inexpensive. The appearance of the new lock, when installed, is unobtrusive and unobjectionable. The device is more burglar-proof than earlier, comparable locks.

The improvement has been obtained by the use of simple mounting, holding and shielding members, efficiently protecting the locking member from displacement. The details will be explained in the following description of a preferred embodiment.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective diagrammatic view, from inside a room, of a pair of double-hung windows equipped with the new lock.

Figure 2 is a similar view of the new lock itself, on a laager scale, approximately full size.

Figure 3 is a front view of the lock of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view, the section being taken along the line 44 in Figure 3 and the view showing difierent positions of the lock and of associated parts.

The new lock is shown as being installed on the right hand vertical sash member 11 of an upper window 12 forming part of a pair of double-hung windows 12, 13. The lock is installed a few inches above the lowermost position of the top edge 14 of the lower window 13. It serves to allow the window to be opened a crack for ventilation of the room. The lock also serves to prevent farther opening of the window from the outside of the room, by burglars and other unauthorized persons.

The lock consists of only two special parts: a generally flat mounting, holding and shielding plate 15 and a downwardly tapering wedge member 16.

These parts are vertically installed. They are swingably interconnected by a plain, straight, vertical hinge pin 17, inserted in integral hinge members 18, 19 on one side of the mounting plate 15 and also inserted in an integral hinge member 20 on the adjacent side of the wedge member 16. The wedge member 16 can be swung about the hinge 17 to a position in front of the plate 15. That plate is attached to the sash member 11 by a pair of plain wood screws 21, 22, inserted through screw holes 23, 24 in the plate. The arrangement is such that the hinge 1720 extends parallel to and adjacent to the inner edge 25 of the sash member 11. Thus the wedge member 16 can be swung into the broken line position in Figure 4, wherein it extends from the inner front or mounting surface of the sash member 11 toward the glass pane of the window 12.

On the other hand the wedge member 16 can be swung back into an operative position, shown in full lines in Figure 4, wherein it extends from said mounting surface inwardly into the room. It then presents an inwardlyupwardly sloping, downwardly facing wedge surface 26, adapted to engage the lower window 13 when that window is raised relative to the upper window 12 (see broken lines 13A in Figure 4).

A secondary stop member or holder 27, formed by a narrow tab inwardly projecting from the plate 15 and integrally secured thereto, cooperates with the hinge 1720 in holding the wedge member 16 against upward movement, thereby protecting the hinge from distortion, when the window is opened rapidly while the wedge member 16 is in place. Preferably the holder 27 engages the top 28 of the wedge member 16 resiliently; for this purpose the top portion of the wedge member 16 is desirably attached to the wedge surface portion 26 by a flexible hinge portion 29; and resilient movement of the top 28 is unrestrained by the side portions 30, 31. These latter portions are provided only to strengthen the wedge surface portion 26. They are separated from the resilient top portion 28 by slots 32, 33.

- A shield 34 is provided in form of a narrow tab integrally secured to and inwardly projecting from the bottom edge of the plate 15, directly below the narrow bottom part 35 of the wedge member 16. This shield 34, like the holder 27, may have an inward projection of only about /a of an inch or less.

The object and function of the shield 34 is to prevent burglars from vertically upwardly inserting a knife or other thin object between the mounting plate 15 and the wedge member 16 and flipping the wedge member 16 out of locking position. Such tampering was possible in the case of prior window locks, when the window 13 had been raised to a position slightly above the lowermost one (see broken lines 13B in Figure 4). The new construction safely prevents manipulation of this kind, thereby adding substantially to the safety provided by the ventilating window lock.

At the same time the new shield 34 obviously represents no cost element of any consequence. Likewise it involves no difficulty in manufacture, installation or use of the ventilating window lock. On the contrary it has a desirable reinforcement effect upon the mounting, holding and shielding plate 15; it allows this plate to be made from lighter stock than is otherwise required.

Being narrow, as mentioned, the holder and shield 27 and 34 do not interfere with the complete opening of the window 13 when the wedge member is flipped into inoperative position. The inward projection of said holder and shield is safely avoided by the top 14 and body of the lower window 13, rising relative to the upper window 12. The two windows are guided vertically by the wellknown window strip and guide mechanism, one form of which is shown at 36, 37. The window 13 is adequately spaced from the inner edges of the parts 27, 34 by the usual inward projection 38 of the horizontal sashes forming part of the windows. Such inward projection is conventionally provided for various reasons, for instance in order to make room for the usual lock 39 holding the window against shifting when fully closed. It will thus be seen that it is not even necessary to mortise the plate 15 into the sash member 11 but that the standard horizontal distance between upper and lower vertical sash members is generally sufiicient to insure adequate and safe condition of the ventilating window lock when the lock is simply attached to the surface of the sash as shown.

The operation is believed to be obvious from the foregoing description but may be briefly resumed as follows. In order to close and lock the window completely window 12 is shifted all the way up and window 13 all the way down and window lock 39 is closed. At all other times window lock 39 is open. In order to ventilate the room but to lock the window against opening beyond the ventilating position the wedge member 16 is swung. into the operative position shown in full lines in Figure 4. Thereupon the lower window 13 can be raised relative to the upper window 11 a maximum of a few inches, whereafter it comes to a stop in position 13A. Interference with'such locking action, in the intermediate position 133, is safely avoided by the shield 34. Distortion of the lock or of its hinge, upon an upward impact in position 13A, is safely avoided by the holder 27 resiliently engaging the wedge top 28, and by the feature that the entire unit is adequately reinforced by the holder and shield, 27, 34. In order to open the window fully the wedge member 16 must be swung. into the inoperative positionr Because of the shield 34 this must be done from the inside of the roomandcannot be done from the outside.

I claim: 7 V

A ventilating sash lockcom-prising a generally flat, vertical mounting plate; a downwardly tapering wedge member hinged to one edge of the mounting plate for swinging about 2. Vertical axis, the wedge member being adapted to be swung about said axis to a position in front of the mounting plate and also adapted to be swung member being adapted to have resilient contact in said position; a second narrow tab integral with and projecting from a lower part of said plate directly below the wedge member, out of contact with the wedge member in all positions of the latter, for preventing upward insertion of a knife or the like between the mounting plate and the wedge member in said position of the latter; and a hinge member integral with and projecting from a side part of said plate whereby the wedge member is hinged to said edge for said swinging. 

